Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): A flute, Mor Pankh, best possible costume and shringar, a beautiful palki, Dahi Handi, and much more!
These are all that could be seen in Madhya Pradesh on Saturday, with residents completely immersed in devotion to Radhe-Krishna.
Every year, Krishna Janmashtami is celebrated with dedication, total surrender and enthusiasm across the country. For millions of devotees, this festival is a deep expression of their unwavering faith in Lord Krishna.
People believe that just as Lord Krishna guided humanity through love, wisdom, and righteousness, he continues to guide and protect his devotees in times of difficulty.
This year also, various temples of Madhya Pradesh are hosting special pooja and religious events, drawing lakhs of devotees.
Bhopal
In Bhopal’s Patel Nagar, ISKCON Temple is celebrating Janmashtami for the first time with the deity installation, expecting over 75k devotees.
The temple will be decorated with 500 kg of flowers and will host bhajans, kirtans, stories, and dance dramas throughout the day. A grand midnight aarti and prasad distribution will take place, drawing thousands of visitors.
On the other hand, Birla Temple, also known as Laxmi Narayan Temple, is renowned for its magnificent architecture, religious significance, and natural beauty, and also houses sculptures from the 10th–12th centuries.
At the Chief Minister Mohan Yadav’s residence, the main program will be held at 2 pm, where more than 1k children dressed as Bal Gopal Shri Krishna will participate.
Indore
The 193-year-old Gopal Mandir began celebrations at 6 am with abhishek and puja rituals. The evening aarti is scheduled at 7:30 pm. At midnight, Lord Krishna’s birth festival and Maha Aarti will be performed. Special prasad will be distributed and darshan will continue till 1:30 am.
The 250-year-old Banke Bihari Mandir will also host festivities. The deity will be adorned in beautiful clothes and ornaments. At midnight, the Maha Aarti will take place. Devotees will also offer chhappan bhog to the Lord, after which prasad will be distributed among the devotees.
Gwalior
At Gopal Mandir, Radha-Krishna will be adorned with antique jewelry worth over ₹100 crore on Janmashtami. The ornaments, which include diamonds, emeralds, rubies, pearls, topaz, and sapphires, are more than 150 years old and date back to the Scindia princely state era.
The jewelry will be brought to the temple from a bank locker under tight security, escorted by police vans. To ensure safety, over 200 security personnel will be deployed and more than 50 CCTV cameras will monitor the arrangements.
Ujjain
At the Sandipani Ashram, where Lord Krishna once studied, Janmashtami will be celebrated with day-long rituals. Darshan began at 7 am and will continue till 11:30 pm, with the midnight Janmotsav Aarti as the highlight. The ashram is decorated with peacock feathers, and devotees will receive panjeeri prasad.
At Dwarika Dheesh Gopal Temple, Krishna will be adorned with ornaments and attire from Nathdwara. Rituals will include Panchamrit Abhishek in the morning, evening kirtans, and the midnight Maha Aarti. The next day, Goddess Yashoda’s Jhanki will be displayed.
